Dear friends/family of Miranda—

Your prayers are continuing to be answered! Miranda is improving so much day-by-day! It has been wonderful to see more of Miranda shine back through each day. Miranda’s communication has come so far. Her speech is almost always intelligible, and she is fully engaged in conversations. She still speaks slowly, and has to concentrate on some matters, but she will make comments, ask specific questions and seems to remember many things. Her memory seems to be improving, although there is still some confusion. Miranda recognizes the confusion, though, and tries hard to work through it. 

Her therapy continues to progress, and the therapists are not holding back on pushing Miranda forward. One of the greatest surprises this past week was Miranda received clearance to EAT!! Miranda was expecting to eat applesauce and graham crackers, but got to make an order on Tuesday, for a FULL meal of her choosing to eat on Wednesday. From what I hear, Miranda expressed such surprise and excitement that she got to place an order for chicken alfredo! The speech therapists worked with her on that meal and made sure all was in order/safe for eating! They then cleared her to be able to eat ANYTHING she wants (of course with help)!

Some other praises/progressions this week:

• There was talk of Miranda getting her trach out. To our surprise, Miranda’s trach was no longer in when people got there Saturday. We had hoped this was due to doctors feeling the risks had minimized, and it was no longer needed in case of an emergency! (The reason we heard it might be removed soon). However, apparently, Miranda coughed it out. We’re still walking in faith, though, that Miranda was just helping the doctors move forward a little faster. 😉 It seems the medical team feels there is no need to put it back in!!
• Miranda had an eye doctor check out her eyes this past week. From what the doctor could see, Miranda’s eyes are fine. In turn, the vision concerns are part of the brain injury and will hopefully continue to improve with the rest of her recovery.
• Miranda’s mobility has continued to improve, as well. She has gained more movement in her arms and head, has begun to be able to grip more, and has been working on balancing. The therapists have not been holding back…they have used medical contraptions to help Miranda walk, balance, and stand! 

Miranda still has a long way to go. However, the gains she is making each day bring such hope and praise. We see more of the Miranda we know and love, more and more each day! We continue to pray, and believe, for a full recovery!! 

As this journey progresses, some continued points of prayer would be:

• Continued cognitive growth and functioning, less confusion, and improved memory function.
• Continued growth in mobility, controlled strength in her arms/legs, and fine motor capabilities. Miranda still relies on others for movement/control, so more independent use of muscles and fine motor capabilities is a continual prayer point.
• Continued improvements with vision. Miranda still appears to have limited vision, with some possible sensitivities to light. We have heard that vision and fine motor skills (in hands) are slower to show progress. We walk in faith, though, that this will continue to improve, and we pray for significant growth in that area.
• Continued open communication between the rehab team and Joel. The therapists have been wonderful. However, with so many moving parts, there have been moments where more communication is needed. Prayers are appreciated for clear communication/guidance throughout the coming weeks.
• As of now, the doctors hope Miranda will be at a point to be discharged within a few weeks, moving into outpatient therapy. Please continue to pray for guidance by the medical team to know the correct timing for that transition, as well as for the many pieces that need to be put in place for Miranda to be home and the care/adjustments needed for that to occur.

As always, thanks for all your love and prayers for Miranda’s healing. We believe God is working miracles in her life, and we patiently wait through this process!